Sports Extra

CHICAGO – The Miami Heat’s 27-game winning streak was snapped Wednesday night by the Chicago Bulls, 101-97, when a furious comeback by LeBron James and his teammates fell short.

The Heat finished six games short of the record held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.

Luol Deng scored 28 points, Carlos Boozer added 21 points and 17 rebounds, and the Bulls brought the Heat’s pursuit of the record to a screeching halt.

Miami’s superstar did all he could to keep the run going, scoring 32 points in a physical final few minutes that saw the MVP even collect a flagrant foul.

NFL

WADA backs HGH testing against ‘extremist’ NFL union

LONDON – The World Anti-Doping Agency defended its test for human growth hormone Wednesday and accused the NFL players union of being “extremist” for questioning its validity.

WADA director general David Howman said the union was acting “the way they’ve operated the last few years” in trying to block the introduction of HGH testing in the National Football League.

The NFLPA questioned the HGH test again after Tuesday’s ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the case of Estonian cross-country skier Andrus Veerpalu.

The court lifted a three-year suspension imposed by the International Ski Federation on the two-time Olympic champion for use of HGH, citing “procedural flaws” in the limits established by WADA to determine a positive test.

The NFL players said the decision highlighted its long-running concerns about HGH testing in pro football.

College Football

East Carolina goes all in with the Big East Conference

East Carolina will join the soon-to-be-renamed Big East as an all-sports member, instead of just for football as originally planned.

East Carolina already had been set to join Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida and the rest of the Big East football schools in 2014. But with the recent split of the basketball and football schools, the football side is giving up the name Big East and needed to add more members for all sports.

East Carolina will join its new league July 1, 2014.

FBS’ Sun Belt Conference takes 2 from FCS’ Southern

Appalachian State and Georgia Southern announced Wednesday they are leaving the Southern Conference to join the Sun Belt Conference in 2014.

Both teams have been dominant at the Football Championship Subdivision level and now will make the jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

They will begin playing Sun Belt games and will be revenue-sharing members of the conference in 2014 and eligible for the Sun Belt conference title but will not be eligible to play in a bowl game. In 2015, Georgia Southern will become a full member of the conference and be bowl eligible.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State and the Sun Belt Conference said both sides are scheduled Wednesday to announce the Aggies will accept an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference in 2014. The move comes after the Western Athletic Conference gave up trying to field a football league in 2013.

New Mexico State will play as an independent in 2013.

MLB

After 55 years, McCarver, 71, will retire from baseball

NEW YORK – Tim McCarver, 71, will make his 55th consecutive season of Major League Baseball his last.

The two-time champion catcher will call the World Series this year, then will retire from his analyst job at Fox.

McCarver has worked 28 consecutive MLB postseasons on network television dating to 1984, providing analysis for a record 23 World Series. McCarver spent 21 seasons in the majors between 1959 and 1980.